Welcome to High School English Class

Assalam o Alaikum,

Dear Parent/Guardian,

It gives me great pleasure to have your child as a student in my English class. Since
this is your child’s first year in high school I thought to take you on board about a few
important things. This letter is to inform you about the specific requirements your
child will need to fulfill as a student in my course throughout this year. Outlining the
class routine and expectations will help your child settle easily and will take the
guesswork out for you as well.

My English class has a very organized and set routine. Most of the year we follow
this except when we have to give extra time to any one aspect of our course or need
to make up for any lessons that are lost due to excursions/camps etc. Once a week,
we will do our language conventions component. I will mainly cover it from the
Complete English book but will bring in extra activities or worksheets if my students
need. For the rest of the week we will cover the Reading, Writing, Listening and
Speaking strands of the curriculum. Please refer to the course outline (given to your
child) to follow your child’s learning journey throughout this year. Since the College
has introduced BYOD initiative, I hope that we will complete most of the readings
and worksheets electronically and will need students’ exercise books with them.
Kindly ensure that your child is bring a fully charged laptop to school to make full use
of the class time.

I expect my students to be really focused on every aspect of their learning. They

need to be very regular in my class and must arrive on time. They must have their
laptops, English exercise book and writing tools with them. Their course outline,
spelling list and assessment schedule should be filed in their English folders for
their/your reference. The students’ success in the course depends not only on their
grades but also on participation, which includes attendance, not being tardy,
preparedness and organization

I sincerely believe that we should not over burden our children with homework but
at the same time I consider that a balanced amount of homework reinforces and
consolidates learning. Till we get through NAPLAN, you will see your child a little
more in ‘overdrive mode’ regarding classwork and homework. During a normal week
my students get homework around 2-3 times a week and almost always some
extension work over the weekend. It should not take them more then 20-30 minutes
to complete this work. I understand that every child is different, so if you find your
child struggling to finish his/her homework within this time or is finishing a bit too

1
early please see me so we can negotiate more catered work for your child. I expect
parents to take extra time to check their child’s workbooks from time to time and
keep track of their homework activities.

Students are tested in different modes and ways throughout the year. You must
have received the assessment timetable for English through your child. I endeavor to
follow these dates but if there is a change, students and parents will be informed
well before time. Most of the assessments are completed in class but there will be
one or two take-home tasks/assignments. I would expect that you make sure that
your child submits high quality work. Once marked these assessments will go in
students’ English display folder. Please also find some time to read College’s test and
assessment policy on school website.

In case I do encounter behavioural or academic problems from a student in my class,

the parent/guardian will be notified via telephone call from me or through SEQTA.
Please ensure that you have downloaded the app and check it for letters and
notifications from the College as well as from your child’s teacher. Communication
between you and me is fundamental to the success of the child.

Please contact me if your child is having problems concerning any aspect of his/her
learning in my class and he/she has not shared this with me.

If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me through SEQTA or by calling
the school’s main office and leaving a message. I will try my best to return your call
as soon as possible.

I look forward to an exciting year with a room full of students that will learn to use
English in a more productive and exciting way.

Sincerely,

Sr Saima Hammadi
English Teacher (year 7)